The Laughing Statue
by SobbingGnome
Summary: Pinkie Pie chose to not enter the Everfree with Twilight and her friends. When confronting Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony are forced to choose the lesser of two evils and release Discord from his stone prison as the next best option to bear the Element of Laughter.
1. Chapter 1

"You seem to be a mare short, Twilight Sparkle." Nightmare Moon cackled, the smug and self assured look upon her terrifying visage sending cold shivers down the spines of those who stood against her.

Indeed, Twilight felt despair set in as she took stock of the mares that had followed her, despite her efforts at deterring them. Her heart sank as she was finally able to see the foolishness of trying to use Elements of Harmony on her own. Unfortunately, they were paying the price for her arrogance.

Still, she and her companions stood resolute, but were beginning to crumble, shaking in fear with their hopes of victory quickly dying. Twilight, desperation quickly making itself known to her as she saw her friends sag, defeated looks on their faces, sought for one last chance at stopping their now gloating opponent; figuring that they had nothing to lose in one last ditch effort to summon the power of the Elements and stave off their certain demise, Twilight pushed aside her fear for the sake of the others and attempted to rouse the hopes of her compatriots .

"Okay, girls, we might be short an Element, but we still have enough to show Nightmare Moon that she shouldn't mess with us!" Twilight shouted out, attempting to raise their flagging spirits. A chorus of hopeful cheers met her, as her friends, renewed at her words, moved to once again stand by her side, no longer hiding in her shadow. Emboldened, she once again tried to call upon the power of the Elements, desperately hoping that they would receive a miracle.

Luckily, the forces she and her friends called upon were, in their own way, aware of her plea. Although not quite aware in a way the sentient beings of Equestria would understand. They had enough cognizance to see that, without aid, the extinction of life was all but assured. Not being able to exert a particularly large amount of power on the world, and their original option for the bearer of Laughter having elected to stay behind rather than follow the others into the forest, they had only one choice left. Re-purposing the power that held him in stone, they summoned him.

Twilight and her friends found themselves lifted into the air, any shock they may have felt dulled by the soothing glow of the aura that now surrounded them. As they began to pulsate, Nightmare Moon looked on, no fear evident upon her face, softly laughing to herself as she took in the desperation of the mares, a heavy thud took her by surprise though and looking around she found that a statue of a familiar foe had appeared, inexplicably, near where her foes had begun to rise. Gaining a baffled look, she took a few moments to think of why this would happen, assured that in the interim, she was in no danger from the Elements.

Her puzzlement quickly turned to horror, as the statue, which now seemed to be crumbling, was enveloped in the same energy that was radiating from the bearers. Nightmare desperately tried to scramble away, but was unable to escape as a rainbow-colored beam came rushing toward her. She shrieked in terror as she was consumed by the power of the elements.

With the mare in the moon defeated, the girls, took stock of their situation, any thoughts of celebration, were quickly cut off as a groaning sound grabbed their attention. Looking around, they spotted the statue that had distracted Nightmare Moon, no longer a statue, a creature was raising itself from the stone remains, groaning and grunting with evident pleasure at once more being able to move. Puzzled, the girls looked over the strange beast that had joined them, the first thing they noticed was the sheer oddness of it, seeming to be a mismatch of creatures, with a serpentine body, a talon and a paw, and two mismatched wings, all connecting to the head of a rather nasty looking pony.

After the immediate surprise faded, looks of disgust were shared between them, each of the mares finding the creature horrendous to behold. Twilight was first to regain her bearings, shaking off the expression of confusion and distaste from her muzzle as she recalled the time she had spent in Canterlot, wracking her brain to place the image that seemed so familar. "I've seen you before!" she exclaimed, drawing it's attention to her.

The mares quivered, as the creature's gaze fell upon them, it's eyes, yellow with pupils of red, studying them intently. After a few moments, it spoke, voice clearly identifying him as a male.

"Oh? Have you? Well, I've seen you, Twilight Sparkle, so close to Celestia. But never had I suspected that she would send you out to tie up her loose ends; I always assumed you were some kind of pet." He drawled, voice raspy, having been unable to speak for many years. Finding little interest in the mares, his bored gaze shifted to his own body as he began examining the necklace that had appeared around his neck.

Twilight, confused by his words, drifted to the most obvious question. "What are you?" she asked, ignoring his mocking of her position.

"I am Discord, king of Equestria!" he shouted, a dramatic flourish of his paw emphasizing his words. Seeing the confused looks upon the faces of the mares, his face, a thing that spoke of horrors unknown to the world, morphed into one reflecting sadness, although still quite horrific. "It is a terrible thing, that Celestia has apparently kept hidden the joys I spread across the land, allow me to enlighten you."

Discord snapped his fingers, an expression of surprise overcoming his features as nothing happened, eyes widening in terror, he continued to snap them, frantically mumbling to himself about being a bit rusty.

"Just ignore him dear, the beast is clearly mad." Rarity said, coming forward and standing next to Twilight, she scoffed as Discord continued his antics, abhorrence of him evident as she stared at him condescendingly. "The Princess will deal with him. Although, he seems rather distracted anyway." Indeed, Discord kept manically snapping his fingers, looking increasingly desperate as he did so.

Twilight was about to respond, but was cut off as a beam of golden light went flying toward Discord, before dissipating harmlessly upon contact with a wing. Looking around for the source of the beam, Twilight was delighted to find that the Princess had appeared at the window of the castle, but was surprised to find a steely expression on her face, with her horn pointed toward Discord.

Seeing the futility of her approach, Celestia gave up and raised her horn. Giving a glare to Discord, she spotted Twilight and quickly made her way closer to her while occasionally shifting her gaze worriedly to Discord, who had taken notice of the ray that had hit him and was now snapping his fingers even more frantically.

"What happened?" She all but shouted, distress clear on her face as she stared at the mismatched creature, fear in her eyes as she warily looked upon him. "What is Discord doing here?"

"I don't know!" Twilight said with worry in her voice. Having never seen Celestia so scared, Twilight quickly started to inherit the panic that her mentor possessed. "We just... we used the elements..." Comprehension dawned on Twilight's face, although the details eluded her, the necklace Discord had gained matched the ones the others had.

"I guess... he's the the bearer of Laughter?" She offered a sheepish grin, not quite sure why what was happening, but picking up on the apparent seriousness of the situation.

Celestia gained a crestfallen look. "That's not good." She said bluntly and sighed, before explaining. "Discord is a draconequus and he was a tyrant who placed Equestria in a state of perpetual unrest before I turned him to stone with the power of the elements , but we can't turn him back into stone if he uses one of the Elements now. At the very least, he seems to be unable to use magic." A vindictive grin came across Celestia's muzzle as she said this, taking pleasure from her foe's frustration.

Twilight looked upon Discord with a new-found wariness. While she tried to comprehend how such an insane creature came to rule Equestria, Celestia made her way over to where Nightmare Moon once stood. The attention of the mares drifted to their ruler, gasps of surprise coming from them as Celestia poked at a small blue filly who had escaped their noticed due to the more attention grabbing event in the room.

"Is that Nightmare Moon again?" Applejack asked, tiredly preparing to once again fight.

Discord, who had given up snapping his fingers, gave a snort, disdain in his voice as he said. "That's the name she goes by? You can relax, you did a good enough job weakening Luna that Celestia won't have much trouble finishing her off. Although, anyone who takes a name like that deserves it. "A cynical laugh escaped him, unnerving the rest of the bearers as he callously joked about death.

Discord was proven wrong in his prediction, as Celestia, instead of vanquishing her, nuzzled the filly, who was now profusely apologizing to the white mare. Once finished, a few more hushed words passed between them and Celestia approached the mares once more, Luna following closely behind her, cowering in fear from behind her sister.

"Twilight Sparkle." She said, as the mares bowed before her, before quickly rising at Celestia's bidding. "The rest of you." She added, not knowing their names and feeling too overwhelmed to care. "This is my sister, Luna." She gestured to the filly behind her, who seemed to be too busy using her sister as a shield against Discord to properly greet them. Celestia, apparently unfazed by her sisters actions, continued gravely. "Using the Elements seem to have had unforeseen effects. Somehow, Discord was released from his prison."

"Stop being such a bore," Discord said, attempting to circle around Celestia to get closer to Luna, who was doing her best to avoid him, whining in piteous fear as she ran from him. "I got this necklace, just like the rest of them." He started to pose, puffing his chest out to show the necklace off, finding some delight in Celestia's inability to stop him. "Clearly, I'm part of the friendship club now."

Celestia rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, unfortunately, Discord seems to be immune to magic and unable to use it himself. This does leave us with a problem, the only solution I can think of is to keep him close to the Elements at all times." She looked apologetically at Twilight. "I'm sorry Twilight, but, for the time being, I think it would be best if you stay in Ponyville with the other bearers."

"Oh, that's okay, if you think it's for the best." Twilight chirped, a smile growing on her face as she contemplated being able to stay with her new friends, earning her an odd look from the Princess.

"Right... Well then, let's head back to into the town."

* * *

When the group reached Ponyville, they quickly found that Pinkie Pie, with seeming precognition, had organized a party celebrating the return of Twilight and the others. Once a large enough group of ponies gathered around the Princesses, Celestia grabbed their attention and made an announcement.

"Ponies of Ponyville! Nightmare Moon has been defeated! My sister, Luna will now be ruling alongside me, as she once did, a thousand years ago." She gestured to Discord, the cheers of the ponies quickly turning to confusion as they took notice of the draconequus. "This is Discord, he was found in the forest and will be living in Ponyville for some time."

As the group of ponies dispersed, heading off to celebrate the avoidance of eternal night, Discord chose not to comment on Celestia's downplaying of his achievements. He stayed with his fellow bearers as they once more gathered around Celestia, eager to see if she had anything new to add.

"You should all go enjoy the festivities now, my sister and I must get back to Canterlot." She focused her attention upon Discord as her gaze hardened, making her displeasure clear. "You, are to stay within the borders of Ponyville for now. Twilight, if you find that he is doing anything odd, you are to send me a letter immediately." With that said, she and Luna took off, flying in the direction of Canterlot.

"Well, excellent news! I don't intend to find out what happens if I get too far from the Elements. So, who shall I be bunking with?"


	2. Chapter 2

Upon his words, the ponies became deathly still, the prospect of having to share accommodations with the demented draconequus sending horrific visions into their minds. Although not having done anything particularly bad, looking as Discord did, along with him being called an ancient tyrant who was turned to stone as punishment, didn't leave them with a good first impression.

"Oh, that..." Twilight shuffled on her hooves, displeasure of housing Discord evident. "Well... you can't stay with me, Spike's a young dragon after all, he might get scared." She giggled, aware of the rather thin excuse, but she couldn't have Discord watching her, so she sought to place the burden on what she deemed the easiest target: Rarity.

"Rarity! you're a successful mare. Surely, you can find space in your heart to give shelter to our friend in need?" Twilight sighed in relief, glad that she had managed to pass expectations of dealing with Discord onto another.

"Unfortunately, Twilight, I'm afraid that I am rather limited on space. All my dresses have to go somewhere, after all." Rarity said haughtily, dashing Twilight's hopes of an easy solution.

"Hang on there, I've been in yer boutique, I know that you got a spare room in there. Why ain't you offering that up?" Applejack stated, placing her accusing gaze on the Unicorn.

"Well... you see." Rarity shifted, as if to expose a great secret, she reluctantly continued. "I have a sister, she often stays with me. Three of us would give little personal space. My boutique is not an option, I'm afraid."

"That's odd, you never mentioned that you had a sister before, never saw her, either." Applejack said, suspecting that it was merely a ruse. Rarity gained a guilty look.

Taking a moment to search for the right words, she explained. "Although I do attempt to get her to socialize with those her own age, she has a tendency to stay inside. I'm sure you've seen it yourself, you do have a rather large family." She said this quite slowly, as if admitting it pained her.

When she had finished, Applejack offered a solution. "Well, we can get her and Applebloom together sometime, I'm sure that they'll get along great." The enthusiasm in her voice clear, the mare eagerly awaited what she was certain would be gratefulness for the unicorn.

Rarity cringed, the expression of disdain staying on her face for only a moment before it was washed away by the grateful expression Applejack awaited. "Thank you, Applejack, I... appreciate your concern. But let's focus more on Discord here. How about he stays with you? I'm sure you have plenty of space on your farm."

"I would if I was able to, but Granny Smith is getting on in years, her old heart just ain't what it used to be. Along with Applebloom, I don't think they'll be able to handle seeing him that often." Seeing that the only options left were the pegasi of the group, the mare foisted the issue onto the one more able to deal with it. "Rainbow, you live alone, how about you take him?"

Rainbow stammered, unable to employ the same excuse of having family that may be affected by his presence. "Yeah, but..." Rainbow strained, her mind desperately searching to find an excuse to avoid the draconequus. "Can he even stay in a cloud-house?"

Discord, who had found the whole confrontation quite amusing, decided that the time had come to end the argument. "It's quite a good question, whether I can walk on clouds. Although the Elements have left me unable to do anything _fun_. I believe my more innate abilities have been left untouched."

After a few experimental flaps, Discord managed to raise himself into the air, relief evident on his face. Beginning the next of the test, he slowly raised himself higher. Wings flapping furiously, although somehow seeming out of sync with his raising altitude.

After a short time, he found himself at the height of the lowest reaching clouds. Making a silent wish, he began to land on the nearest cloud, desperately reaching a hoof out to land.

And land he did, as he touched down on the cloud, the reassuring feeling of it supporting him almost made him cheer in delight. Unfortunately, his extended time as a statue had not left him particularly fit, and he collapsed in exhaustion, savoring the feeling of the cloud caressing his aching body.

A few moments later, Discord was surprised to see that Rainbow Dash had followed him up, having given his full attention to the task of flying, he hadn't noticed her. "I don't think you'll be winning any races if that's the best you can do!" Rainbow said, laughing at the wheezing draconequus.

"Try getting turned to stone for a while, you'll wish you were as fit as me." Discord said, gasping for breath in between words. "But, now we know that there's nothing to stop us being together." Discord grinned, finding the energy to manage a wink in her direction. Rainbow's face dropped, reminded that the only thing stopping him intruding on her home was the chance that he was simply too unfit to reach it.

"Oh..." Rainbow knew she could probably coerce Fluttershy into taking him, but the mare was already completely dominated by that rabbit and Rainbow didn't enjoy the prospects of what Discord could do to her submissive friend. "We should head back down, you think you can do that?" she teased.

Discord bristled. "I will have no trouble returning to the ground... However, feel free to go on back without me. I want to enjoy this cloud." Shrugging, Rainbow left, plummeting back to the ground in a blur. Discord watched with disinterest, before taking advantage of his brief reprieve.

When he felt rested enough, Discord made his way back to the ground, the mares having all left, except for Rainbow Dash, who had started pacing and looked at him with irritation flaring in her eyes when he landed.

"Ah, you waited for me, delightful. I just knew you cared." He said, enjoying Rainbow's steadily increasing irritation. "So, shall we be joining the festivities or shall we be heading home immediately?"

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, I don't think that the ponies around here will take too kindly to you. It's best if we avoid the party." Gesturing for Discord to follow, she prepared to take flight.

"Oh, you certainly are eager." Discord muttered. Ignoring him, Rainbow took off toward her house, with Discord doing his best to keep up.

* * *

When Discord and Rainbow flew off to see if he could walk on clouds, Twilight took the opportunity to tell her friends what Celestia had told her on the journey from the Everfree Forest. Ushering them to the library to insure that Discord could not overhear them.

When they arrived, Applejack was the first to ask a question. "Twi, did ya really have to bring us all the way here just to talk about Discord?"

"Yes Applejack, I did, were you paying attention to anything? Discord being free is really, really bad!" Twilight vented, the frustration that had built up since Nightmare Moon being directed at Applejack.

Twilight took a moment to collect herself, sighing before speaking again. "I'm sorry, It's just that the Princess told me that Discord was very dangerous. Apparently, when he had his magic he was more powerful than both of the Princesses."

Rarity, seeing Twilight's stress, attempted to comfort her. "He doesn't have his magic anymore. That's something, right?" Rarity smiled reassuringly, hoping to help Twilight calm down.

"You're right, It's not that bad yet. but he could get his magic back at any time. The Princess doesn't want to risk it." Twilight was far more calm now, Rarity having reminded her that all was not lost.

"Okay, first off, It's best if we all store the elements here, the library has a few spots where I can hide them." After the mares took off the Elements, she grabbed them with her magic and levitated them onto a nearby table. "I'll just leave these here for now, I can hide them later."

Twilight sighed, preparing herself for the next part of the plan, not quite sure how well received it would be. "Now, this bit's a bit more... awkward, but we need to get the Element from Discord too. He may not be very willing to give it up."

"Oh, of course he will, dear! A round, pink necklace absolutely clashes with his coat, not that he seems to be one for fashion, but even he will see that it needs a change." Rarity spouted, oblivious to the looks of disbelief she had garnered from the others.

Twilight rolled her eyes, unsurprised by the rather vapid comment Rarity had given, she had suspected that the mare was a little obsessed with the latest trends. "He might not, we'll probably have to grab it when he's, ah, not looking. I already tried using magic, he didn't even notice."

"Why would he want to hold onto it?" Applejack said quizzically, not certain why it mattered.

"Well, the Princess thinks that if we get the Element and give it to somepony else, we can turn him back to stone." Twilight said, her words getting quite a reaction from her audience.

Fluttershy, surprisingly, was the one to speak first, breaking her long silence. "Um, Twilight, do we have to turn him back to stone? Discord did all those things such a long time ago... maybe he's nice now."

"Fluttershy does have a point, Twilight; stealing from Discord and trying to turn him to stone might end up making it worse, maybe he'll turn over a new leaf. He does have one of the Elements, after all." Rarity said, preferring a reactionary approach over immediately attacking Discord.

Twilight, exasperated by her friends apparently not taking the Princess's warning seriously, decided to just agree with them "Fine! we'll leave it be for now, but I bet he'll do something to show you that he's evil! It's just a matter of time."


	3. Chapter 3

A new day dawned and with it, the first day of Discord's freedom. Even if his magic seemed to be lacking, he had no intention of letting that dampen his spirits. Stretching, he raised himself up from the cloud-bed that Rainbow Dash, after a heated argument over the sleeping arrangements, had graciously provided for him. Located in an extra bedroom of the house, it was certainly more roomy that being encased in stone.

Heading out, Discord found Rainbow Dash, with a plate full of salad placed on a table in front of her. Facing away from him, she had not seen him enter. Figuring he was about to intrude upon her breakfast, and not caring, he spoke.

"Ah, Rainbow!" he said, slithering up behind her, he placed a claw around her, only to be swatted away by a bat of her wing and a grunt of annoyance. Unperturbed, he continued. "So, what will we be doing today, buddy?"

Rainbow sighed, her body deflating as she looked at Discord. "I work on the weather team. I have to go work today, you just... go bug Twilight, she lives in the big tree in the middle of Ponyville."

Discord pouted. "I understand, we're going too fast, you need some time to yourself." A hurt look crossing his face, Discord prepared to leave. "I'll just be going then. Nothing to see here, just a heartbroken draconequus." Seeing Rainbow's unfazed expression as she munched on a carrot, Discord tired of her and made his descent from the cloud-house.

Having an easier time getting back to the ground then he had when going up. Discord made his way toward the quaint town of Ponyville, Its wooden buildings already within view, only a short amount of time passed before Discord found himself once more in the town. The party long since having ended, the mundane village life once again consumed the town and he watched on in amusement as the ponies fled in terror from his mighty visage.

Once the skittish townsfolk had all hidden from him, none seeming to dare staying outside while he was around, Discord made his way towards Twilight Sparkle's residence. Enjoying as the few ponies who were unaware of his presence spotted him as he went further into the town and quickly joined their fellows in hiding.

Upon finding the library, and discovering it was not locked. Discord entered, only to see rows upon rows of neatly arranged books, along with a familiar purple dragon who was going about the business of adding yet more books to the shelves.

"Hello, Spike," Discord said, catching the Dragon's attention. A grin forming when he saw recognition flicker through Spike's face. "Recognize me? I spent so long as a statue, but once more, I am free and finally able to tell you something I have longed to for many years."

Confusion showed on the dragon's face. But, the Draconequus's words had piqued his interest, and an eagerness could be seen quickly overtaking the confusion. "What is it? is it important? is it something the Princess doesn't know?" Spike questioned, anticipation clear in his voice.

Discord chuckled, Spike's eagerness amusing him to no end. He quickly regained a more serious expression. "Not quite, you see Spike, I... am your father."

Spike was flabbergasted for a moment, before he quickly deflated. "Oh... I kinda got my hopes up there for a second... don't know why." He sighed, before letting out a cynical laugh. "So, why are you here?"

"Didn't you hear the news from Twilight Sparkle? I gained the Element of Laughter and will be staying in Ponyville. I am your father though, they kept it a secret, to keep you under control... like a slave." For a moment, Discord gained a wistful look, the regret of never having seen his son causing him to pause, but, abruptly, he gained a more cheerful demeanor, before continuing. "But we cannot change the past. Regardless, there is a chance for us to know each other now, despite what they would do to stop us."

Spike seemed moved by Discord's words, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted, as Twilight Sparkle came from a room further into the library, intruding on their conversation. A grimace marring her features as she began to reprimand the Draconequus. "Spike, don't listen to him. He's lying to you, obviously, he's not even a dragon." She rolled her eyes, as if it was extremely clear.

"That's not true at all, my tail is the same as a dragons, Spike merely has more similarity to his mother." Discord said, dismissing Twilight's claim. "Stop trying to confuse him, he will no longer be misled by your lies!" he abruptly grabbed the dragon, holding him close as Spike began to squirm in his grip.

"Spike, my son." Discord soothed. "There is no need to be afraid, Twilight cannot hurt you now." Despite his words, Spike continued to struggle, prompting Discord to release him.

"Fine! I suppose you're still in shock from the news anyway. Run along now, Twilight and I have things to do." Discord said, dismissing the Dragon.

Spike, clearly quite confused, looked to Twilight. "Twilight, why is a statue walking around here?"

"He showed up when we fought Nightmare Moon, I would've mentioned it, but you were sleeping, and he's not your father, just try to ignore him, okay?" moving Spike along, she ushered him out of the room and further into the living quarters of the library.

"That was quite cruel, you know, trying to separate Spike from his father." Discord said, shaking his head, finding Twilight's actions shameful.

"You're not his father!" Twilight countered, irritation creeping into her voice.

"You can't prove that." Discord said, before winding closer to Twilight. "Anyway, Rainbow Dash is busy... but I'm sure we can find some way to pass the time."

Twilight moved further away from him, annoyed with his antics, and said. "I was going somewhere, but then you showed up and slowed me down." She sighed, continuing after a few moments. "I guess you can come with me."

"That sounds delightful, so, where shall we be going?" Discord said, glad to have found some way to pass his day.

"Applejack asked for help down at her farm." Twilight said, watching as the Draconequus's face transformed from delight to disgust.

"That sounds dreadful. If that's all you have, then I'll just find my own means of entertainment." Discord said, flinching at the prospect of spending his time helping ponies at a farm. He began to leave, but something occurred to Twilight before he left the library.

"Wait! there is one thing..." Twilight said, nervousness showing on her features. "The Element, can you give it to me... for safekeeping?" she grinned, hoping that Discord would be willing to hand over his Element without much fuss.

Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed with his next words. "No, I think I'll keep it. The color suits me, perhaps I'll set a trend." Seeing a disheartened expression cross Twilight's face, he realized that she had likely hoped he would be vulnerable when not wearing the Element. He figured that she was probably working on Celestia's orders and he would have to watch out for more attempts that may end up being more threatening than Twilight's feeble first attempt.

Discord's reaction to her treachery was cut short though, as Spike came rushing back into the room, clutching a letter in his claw. "Twilight!" he exclaimed, gaining her full attention before he continued. "This letter just came from the Princess!"

Enveloping it in a purple field, Twilight grabbed the letter. Looking at Discord warily, she opened it and began reading to herself. A few moments later, she breathed a sigh of relief, gaining Discord's interest.

"Tell me, what does your letter say? I'm just dying to know." He said, the sarcasm in his voice betrayed by his obvious interest as he moved closer in an attempt to read it from behind Twilight.

"It's nothing." She said, withdrawing two golden pieces of paper from the envelope. "Just two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala."

"And?" Discord said, waiting impatiently for Twilight to ask the question obvious to him.

"What?" she said, clearly not getting the correct impression.

"Aren't you going to invite me to go with you?" he all but shouted, wondering why she had not offered immediately. Although his sightings of her in Canterlot had not suggested she was particularly aware of such things.

"No, I'll bring Spike, the two tickets were clearly meant for us anyway." She stated, much to Discord's irritation. For his part, Spike didn't seem very interested either, but held his tongue.

"How rude of you. I have no interest in such things. But still, to dangle such things in front of me, only to tear it away!" He exclaimed. "I thought that after all we've been through, that we were friends."

Twilight gained an uncomfortable look, awkwardly attempting to find the right words. "It's not that... but if I brought you along... It would be unfair to the rest of my friends."

Discord perked up. "Ah, of course, you're right. how could that not occur to me. You are completely forgiven." He said, once more preparing to take his leave. "Goodbye, Twilight, and of course, farewell to you too... my son."

Quickly patting Spike on the head affectionately, Discord left the pair alone in the library. Spike turned to Twilight and asked. "He's... not really my father, right?"

Twilight sighed. "No Spike, he's not your father."

* * *

Discord's short absence had resulted in the citizens of Ponyville to once more take to the streets, no longer hiding in fear. Discord's return had the opposite effect, sending them back to hiding in their homes in fear of him. Snorting, he wondered if they would ever get used to him.

With nothing to do, Discord found himself simply wandering the streets, slowly making his way through the town. Until, eventually, he spotted Rarity, peering out at him from a round building. She quickly hid from him, but it was too late and he made his way over to her.

Tapping on the window, he waited for her to eventually give up and acknowledge him. After several minutes, he was rewarded as the white unicorn opened the nearby door and sullenly offered to let him inside.

Once inside, she quickly looked around, searching for any who may have seen him enter her shop. before slamming the door shut and turning to Discord to say something.

Discord was quicker though, and cut off anything she may have said. "Ah, now, Rarity, I'm hurt by your avoidance of me. Does our past mean nothing to you?"

Rarity shuffled on her hooves, giving out a small whine before answering. "It's not that, but I do cater to the upper class here and seeing you may... scare them off." She said, clearly not enjoying discussion of the unpleasant topic.

"Really, you would let a few scared ponies stand between us? I expected you to have more integrity than that." Discord said, enjoying the quickly increasing discomfort he was causing her. Although he was surprised that she even cared about his feelings, it was something he could use to his advantage.

"Although, I can see all this fear of me easily becoming... unpleasant." Discord said, stroking his beard in thought. "Hmm, I think, that despite your snubbing of me, if you can manage to get them to be more agreeable to my presence, all will be forgiven."

Rarity pondered this for a few moments, glad that Twilight was wrong and Discord seemed quite interested in gaining friends in the town and not attempting to take over Equestria. "Actually, there is a mare in this town, Pinkie Pie, she does organize parties for everyone who moves here... and often for any reason at all." She muttered at the end, clearly not intending it to any but herself.

Rarity continued, finding her idea had merit and growing enthusiastic. "She held a party for Twilight when she moved in, I suppose, that if I suggested it to her, she may hold a party for you. I'm surprised she didn't already, actually. But, you are rather unnerving."

Discord found this acceptable, glad that the tedium of the locals fleeing in horror would soon be over, although amusing, it would quickly grow tedious and without his magic, could easily become uncontrollable. "Very good, well, one good deed deserves another." He leaned closer to Rarity, who, to her credit, only flinched slightly.

"I was just visiting Twilight a moment ago, and it seems that she has managed to pick up two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala." Discord said, allowing Rarity the chance to envision what she could do at such an event.

After a few moments, and Rarity still being quite stunned by the information, he coughed loudly to regain her attention, after a distracted apology from the mare, he continued. "Now, I declined to go when she offered, but I'm certain that Twilight will easily see how you could benefit from going."

Rarity nodded, still distracted from his words, she eventually said. "I see, yes, the Gala would be very good for my... career... I'll just be going then, best to see Twilight as soon as I can."

With nothing left to be said, they both left the building. Discord, seeing Rarity was about to head to the library, added. "One thing, If you don't see her at the library, than she's likely gone to Applejack's farm."

Rarity cringed, before her expression turned to gratitude at Discord's advice. "Thank you, Discord, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She said, before she rushed off to the library, trying to catch Twilight there.

Discord laughed, anticipating the chaos that would hopefully ensue between Rarity and Twilight. A smaller scale than he was used to, but it would have to suffice.


	4. Chapter 4

"This party was held for you, Discord. You really should go out and... mingle," Rarity said, nudging the reluctant Draconequus.

Discord eyed the ponies that had shown up to the party, a greater number than he had expected given their tendency to run to the hills whenever they spotted him. He suspected it had something to do with the over-zealous nature of the event organizers; Ponies seemed to have trouble saying 'no' to Pinkie Pie and Rarity having been quite insistent on Pinkie getting as many ponies as possible.

Despite being coerced into attending, the 'guests' were still unwilling to actually approach Discord, giving him a wide berth and frequently casting wary glances from across the surprisingly large interior of Sugarcube Corner.

"I think we're all getting along fabulously. You wouldn't ask royalty to mix too closely with the common folk, would you?" Discord asked, straightening into a more dignified posture.

Rarity sighed. "Well, you're not... royalty?" she said, an uncertain voice causing it to come out as a question, rather than a statement.

Discord bristled, glaring at the Unicorn as he rasped out. "Surely, my eloquent manner and infinite grace must have made my position apparent?" gliding closer to Rarity, Discord's voice softened as he gently began to stroke her with his talon . "I told you this when we first met... perhaps it was just the shock of the moment, a small loss of memory."

Rarity gulped, her breath catching in her throat as Discord stroked her, a far-off look in his eyes. "Um... Celestia said that—" A jolt of pain interrupted her, as Discord scratched her.

Discord sighed, backing away from Rarity. "I... apologize, it seems I got a little carried away, for a moment... Perhaps it's best if we avoid that topic."

Rarity backed away. "Of course, happens to all of us... No harm done," she said, smiling reassuringly.

Discord, seeing she was wary to approach him, added. I'll just go... mingle, then." Looking away from her, Discord glanced around, searching for a dark corner to skulk around in. Unfortunately, the confectionery seemed to work against him, having been made to be exceptionally bright and colorful.

It's bright style had only been accentuated by Pinkie Pie, the mare seeming to have done her best to brighten the surroundings, leaving Discord to stand out in the cheery atmosphere. His large presence working against him, as when he began to approach the gathered ponies, they quickly scattered. Leaving him standing alone.

Scanning the divided remnants of the crowd, he spotted Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. Both looking at him, he took it as an invitation to join them.

Quickly closing the distance, he spoke, both ponies being too flabbergasted to do anything but listen. "Enjoying yourselves?" Discord asked, looking around, he noted that the other ponies had distanced themselves, before looking back to his companions.

"Quite. I was just talking to Rainbow about how she gave me her Element, for safe-keeping. It would be best if you did the same," Twilight said, smiling winningly.

Discord snorted. "No, stop asking," ignoring her indignant response, he turned his attention to Rainbow. The mare having started to back away, he quickly glided around her, cutting off her route. "So, buddy. Having fun? I certainly am, although I'm sure we could have some more. Not here though, how about we go back to _our_ place?"

His suggestion was rewarded with a cringe from Rainbow. "Stop saying stuff like that! It's pretty creepy," Rainbow spat, glaring at the Draconequus before looking over at Twilight. "Don't listen to him, he's just trying to mess with us."

She got no response from Twilight, who was now staring at Discord. Rainbow nudged her with a hoof, grabbing her attention. "Woah, you drifted off there for a sec, Twi. I know what you're thinking, he's a weird one."

Twilight shook herself, the motion violent enough that she took a second to re-orient herself, before answering Rainbow. "Yeah... you're right. Discord's a creep," She glared at him, receiving a wink from the Draconequus in response.

"Twilight," he said, cupping her muzzle. "You just don't understand our love. I expected that, of course. You poor, asocial bookworm, I pity you," he ruffled her mane, Twilight gasping as he took her off guard.

Twilight's response was cut off as Pinkie Pie appeared, quickly moving between them. "Hey, there's no reason for you guys to get all grouchy. It's a party!" she said, doing her best to keep them separate.

Discord scoffed. "She started it, harassing Rainbow Dash and I. The mare has no respect for her betters," he said imperiously, raising himself up to a more regal posture. "She should prostrate herself before me and beg for forgiveness."

Pinkie said nothing, looking instead at the quickly angering Twilight. "Just... gimme one second, okay? Don't do anything!" she said, dashing off into the crowd.

Discord turned to Twilight, who was looking at him with restrained anger. "I'm not worried, you know. You can't hurt me anyway. That angry face you have looks positively adorable, by the way."

Losing her angry expression, Twilight continued to stare, her anger replaced by a furrowed brow. Beginning to speak, she was once again interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who had returned with a bottle, along with two glasses, balanced on her back.

At her request, Discord placed them on a nearby table. Relieved of her burden, Pinkie addressed them. "I've seen ponies who didn't get along before, we'll just have some of this and we'll all get along again!"

Discord looked at the bottle, inspecting the liquid held within. "I've never been one for eating, or drinking. It was always so inconvenient," he poured himself a glass, quickly gulping it down.

He gasped as his throat began to burn, the feel of it akin to liquid fire. When it died down, he spoke. "What is this? I don't think something like this was around back when I was in charge," he said, wiping away a small tear from the corner of his eye.

"Really?" said Pinkie, holding a glass between her hooves. She swallowed it with ease. "You must have been... gone for a long time, then."

"I was, Pinkie... a long time," they turned to Twilight, who was holding a glass of her own within the grasp of her magic.

"Come on, Twilight. It's your turn." Pinkie said, her attempt at coercion doing little to remove Twilight's nervous look.

"I don't know about this..." Twilight stammered, gazing warily at the glass.

"It's not a big deal... is it?" Pinkie said, giving Twilight an appraising look before prodding her with a hoof and smiling encouragingly. "Do it anyway."

"I guess..." Twilight said, timidly bringing the glass closer to herself and beginning to sip it.

Pinkie rolled her eyes, turning back to Discord. "Right... we can finish off the rest of this."

"Does it do something if you drink more?" Discord said, taking a second glass and drinking with more caution.

"Yup," Pinkie said.


	5. Chapter 5

Since you've read this far, you might want to swap to the version on Fimfiction, since I edit most of my previous chapters there to be of a higher quality then the ones here. That, and the comments systems over there is just fantastic. Actually, I've edited almost all my chapters on Fimfiction, but the one here are the originals.

* * *

Discord awoke, disorientation eventually giving way to clarity as he took in his surroundings. The sun shining brightly upon him made it clear; He was not where he expected to be. He scrambled into a better position, paw rushing to see if he still had his element.

Finding his chest bare, his mind wandered, the horror of returning to stone flashing across his mind. Discord glanced around, searching for a hint of his captor. Seeing nothing but the dark and foreboding trees of what he assumed was the Everfree Forest, he waited with baited breath, preparing for an attack.

"Was this your plan all along, Celestia?" he shouted, trembling as he searched for her. "Leaving me to die in the forest?"

Nothing but the gentle swaying of the trees answered him. Eyes darting around, Discord backed up against the nearest tree. Glancing about, he could see nothing to give away his foe's location. Growing ever more wary, he spotted a glint in a nearby bush. Seeing no alternative, he leaped at it, claw poised to strike.

Bush and branch parted for him easily, causing him no hindrance as he flew past. To Discord's dismay, instead of being met with Celestia's fleshy flank, he found only air and despite his futile attempts at stopping, crashed into the ground shortly after. Groaning piteously, Discord opened an eye to be greeted by his missing element.

His body ached, the act of crashing into the ground having lasting consequences. He attempted to move and was rewarded with a dull ache throughout his limbs. Hoping for the best, he called upon his unreliable tool.

Discord snapped his fingers, deflating as the element remained unmoved. Pulling up his less damaged paw, Discord picked the element up, keenly aware that leaping at the ground had taken it's toll. Gritting his teeth as he pulled himself up, he fastened the element around him once more.

Choosing a direction, Discord began his journey. While his leap had injured him, he was glad to see that his legs were still quite fine. The trees around him giving no hint as to which way might lead to his escape. making his way through, jumping at the slightest of sounds, he warily continued. Fruitlessly, he continued his gamble. Until eventually, after a short time aimlessly wandering, he heard a faint buzzing.

At that sound, a grin formed upon his face. Discord turned toward it, his pace quickening as he rushed to it. As the buzzing got louder, he quickly found its source. Laying perched on a mossy rock, was a changeling. A race that often mixed itself, quite enthusiastically in Discord's opinion, with the ponies of Equestria.

For Discord, It's black and chitinous body was a welcome sight in the forest. Without care for stealth, he eagerly approached, noisily announcing his presence with loud, rushed steps. The Changeling jumped to attention at the sound, its large, blue eyes homing in on Discord.

Hesitating for a moment, it readied paper-thin wings. The sound that led Discord to it intensified, as it flew off its roost, quickly descending to the bottom. Still quite a distance from Discord, the Changeling sat on it haunches, peering at him unblinkingly. Silence enveloped them, as movement of both parties stopped.

Tentatively, Discord slinked closer. Confidence and pace increasing as he closed the distance, Discord quickly found himself within grabbing distance of the Changeling, who sat silently, staring up at the towering titan before it. Its face revealing nothing to him, Discord chose to take advantage of the distance.

With a sweep of his claw, Discord grabbed it, its rough and uneven body allowing him to easily hold it.  
Unfortunately, the Changeling seemed to take offense, yelling out as she ,although Discord always had trouble telling with changelings, began squirming. "Wha...? Let me go at once! You... you... thing!"

"Thing? Well, being rude won't get you anywhere, my dear," Discord shook her, laughing as the slightest motion made her squeal.

A glow came from the Changeling's horn, steadily building as she grinned wickedly, and perhaps a little queasily. "I'm warning you, let me go now! Or prepare to suffer my wrath!" Discord scoffed, the motion sending his captive jerking.

A green bolt flew past Discord, crashing against the trees behind him. "Bah! You'll need to try better than that. But, I agree, we've gotten to know each other," Discord promptly dropped her, watching as she swayed on her hooves. "Now, onto business. So, how have you guys been doing? It's been a while since I've seen a changeling."

Still swaying, the pony lookalike tumbled forward, collapsing onto the ground. Slowly pushing herself up, she looked to Discord, glaring at him as she spat out. "How are we doing? We're all dead, you crazy freak!"

Discord frowned. Sitting next to the changeling, who was having considerable trouble raising herself. Scooping her up, he began to stroke her. "I see, still a bit sore about me tossing you around? I suggest you get over it... I'm beginning to grow irritated," Discord growled, dragging the tip of his claw against her head.

The Changeling struggled weakly, unable to escape the Draconequus's grip. "It's true! Most of us starved after getting caught by the ponies," she sighed, going limp. " There might be a few of us left... maybe."

Discord loosened his grip, resuming his stroking, lightly trailing the Changeling's back. "That is... unfortunate. Celestia isn't one to show mercy though... not usually, anyway. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Chrysalis," she mumbled, snuggling closer to the Draconequus. Discord made no attempt to impede her, looking on with curious eyes.

"I am Discord. Although, this is rather interesting, why did you stay when you could have fled?" Discord questioned. Chrysalis unsettled herself to stare at the Draconequus. "Most tend to run, or fly, or teleport. It got boring after a while, though.

She looked away, hesitating a moment before began to speak. "I couldn't. It's too dangerous to go near pony towns. It left me quite... tired, but then you came along," Chrysalis smiled, once again pressing herself against him.

"Quite unsettling. But you're a decent start," the Draconequus looked down upon Chrysalis. "So... how long is this going to take?

With no answer forthcoming, Discord looked up; Finding the sun signalling midday in the sky. "Perhaps I can spare a few more hours," he sprawled out, idly laying on the forest floor.

* * *

"Discord."

Discord felt a tap, a light and fleeting pressure on his head. Ignoring it, he found it becoming more persistent, albeit still light enough to be unworthy of his attention.

"Discord," again, he felt a tap, this time harder; Hard enough to force him to crack open an eye. Doing that, he found himself confronted by two members of his circle of pony friends: Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy; Both looming above him, the gloom of the Everfree enhancing their small stature as the latter examined him, her brow furrowed as she looked at the scrapes he had acquired, softly mumbling to herself.

Twilight seemed far less focused on Discord. Instead, she stood still, smirking happily. Her unfocused eyes staring at nothing. Brushing Fluttershy aside, Discord poked her, chuckling as her attention moved. "Hello, my friends. Have you come to inquire about the state of my well-being?"

Fluttershy whispered something, promptly ignored by her companions. Twilight, speaking in a manner conductive to being heard, managed to gain the attention of the troupe. "Of course, Discord. The princess herself told us that we had to look for you."

"Had to? I hoped my friends would _want_ to know where I am," he sighed. Standing up, Discord examined himself. Unfortunately not finding everything as he left it. His element once again missing, he remembered past lessons and quickly looked over the ground around him.

Finding nothing, Discord looked to Twilight. "This is unfortunate, but I seem to have dropped my necklace. Make yourself useful and help me search for it."

Twilight beamed, holding up her hoof. Discord's missing element hooked upon it, dangling loosely as Twilight struggled to keep it from slipping. "Actually, I have it right here. But I'll just hold on to it for you, you'll just lose it again."

"You seem to be having some trouble," Discord said as Twilight swayed, struggling to balance herself. Discord reached out, easily hooking the element from Twilight's outstretched hoof. "Let me help. After all, that's what friends are for."

Twilight watched as Discord fastened the chain around himself. Her horn gained a lavender aura for a moment, with no effect. A frown enveloped her muzzle as she sighed, responding with a flat. "Thanks."

"My pleasure. I suppose we'll be going back to Ponyville?" Discord shuffled forward, following Twilight as she began to move. Dragging herself close to the ground, her downcast eyes did not travel to check who followed. Discord looked to Fluttershy, the Pegasus quick to keep pace. "Some gratitude would be nice. I try so hard, but you ponies can just be so cruel."

"Twilight's just... she was worried. It was scary when you ran off into the forest," Fluttershy shivered, eyes darting around the darkness of the trees.

"Ran off... I don't recall that," Discord said, eying the Pegasus. Fluttershy gave off a whine, breaking eye contact in favor of looking at Twilight as she marched. "I do recall Pinkie Pie offering us something, though."

Fluttershy nodded. "You drank a lot... and said some hurtful things," she trailed off, silence quickly engulfing them. Fluttershy choosing not to elaborate, Discord reached out to her.

"Oh, you're tough. I'm sure you'll get over it," ruffling her mane, Discord tossed her a reassuring smile.

"Um... please stop," she mumbled, shying away from Discord. The Draconequus watched as she seemed to fall in on herself, tensing as she moved. Although, she chose to remain close rather than move toward the unknown of the forest.

"Nobody seems to be much of a fan today. I try to help and this is how I'm repaid?" ignored by the ponies, Discord followed behind, trying to match Twilight's brisk pace.


End file.
